Inukiriniwdene
Inukiriniwdene (formally Les Gens d'Inukiriniwdene People) is a nation in 1975: A World of Difference, occupying where in other timelines was Canada and the northern USA. Etymology Inukiriniwdene is a portmanteau of the word for "person" or "people" in the three main language families of the peoples of Inukiriniwdene: inuk in the Eskimo-Aleut languages, iriniw in the Algonquian languages, and dene in the Northern Athabaskan languages. Gens and of course People have the same meaning in French and English respectively. History Early history In the 14th century, the Inuit people had become well-established on the northern coastline of what is now Inukiriniwdene. Seeking to expand further, they pushed south, coming into conflict with the Dene people, from whom they took significant areas of land, and the Iriniw (Cree) people against whom they fought periodic wars on the western peninsula of Hudson Bay, that finally subsided in the 17th century. The Hudson Bay Company The Hudson Bay Company, formed by French merchants with British backing, was established in 1670, and swiftly built trading relations with the native peoples around Hudson Bay, while the British came to dominate the company administration. Initially it focussed on trading from coastal ports, but after the Company repulsed French efforts to capture its trading posts in the 1680s, it decided to look more to strengthening itself inland. Allied with the Inuit, it thus robustly defended its assets in Queen Anne's War, and the Treaty of Utrecht finally gave the Company an unopposed monopoly on trade over great swathes of North America, though the French settlers of Quebec were permitted to stay. In the decades that followed, the Hudson Bay Company became a de facto government, building up the native peoples as suzerain lords under its sovereignty. It suffered a setback after the American War of Independence, when it was obliged by treaty to end its operations south of the 49th parallel, but redoubled its efforts to become an economic and industrial rival to its southern neighbour. An independent Inukiriniwdene In 1849, following the acquittal of William Shay, a manager in the Hudson Bay Company, for the alleged burning of a Dene settlement, rioting erupted among the native populations resident in the company towns. The riots subsided, but in Novemner of that year an alliance of Inuit and Dene peoples rebelled against the Hudson Bay Company's hegemony. Combining their traditional experience of the harsh environment with the modern firearms introduced to them by the Europeans, they made great advances, driving the company officials from many of their towns. Fearing the loss of its investment, shareholders dismissed the hardliners on the board, and replaced them with those willing to negotiate. The Company agreed to accept the formation of a government by the native peoples, and Inukiriniwdene was founded, with its capital located at the Hudson Bay Company's headquarters of York Factory on Hudson Bay. Annexation of the United States of America After the American Civil War, the USA was left in a weakened position with the CSA having seceeded. It borrowed major sums of money from Inukiriniwdene among other countries to fund the rebuilding of infrastructure in the (USA-CSA) border states, but mismanagement and corruption squandered much of the funds. As the USA slipped into depression, Chicago and Detroit being particularly badly hit (American New York fared better), immigration of Unionists became a major issue for Inukiriniwdene, with toughening of border controls only resulting in a rise in illegal crossings, especially in the Great Lakes Area, as Unionists sought a new life to the north. By 1870 Inukiriniwdene was losing patience with the percieved blind eye being turned by the USA to these crossings, as well as the lack of progress in the USA's rebuilding. The spark for war was the Lake St Clair incident of 1872, when the lakes gunboat ITU James Lewis (Inukiriniwdene Tasiq Umiaq - lake ship) opened fire upon the personal fishing vessel of Michigan Senator Zachariah Chandler. In too weak a position to declare war, the USA instead attempted to assassinate the Inukiriniwdene Premier in retaliation, but botched the mission badly. Inukiriniwdene declared war, and despite facing stiff American resistance its Great Lakes Fleet was able to support the Army to decisive victories in Detroit and Buffalo, leaving both cities in ruins from the use of incendiary shells. A year of fighting in the northeastern states followed, before in the 1873 US Presidential Election President George McClellan was ousted in favour of Andrew Johnson. A further three months into the war, with the USA's cause looking increasingly untenable, Johnson agreed a ceasefire. The Treaty of Chicago annexed the United States of America into Inukiriniwdene, providing its people with representation in the Inuk Parliament. Subsequent History The capital was relocated to Washington DC in 1892 after a blizzard devastated York Factory, with the old capitol and White House, derelict since the annexation, being hastily renovated. It remained there until the Great Fire of Washington in 1915, after which the government was temporarily located in Oshawa before moving in 1922 to the new town of New York Factory, located on the northeast coast of Southampton Island in Hudson Bay. Politics Inukiriniwdene has a federal structure. The Federal Government comprises a bicameral Parliamentary legislature, with the House of Commons elected by constituencies, while the House of Elders is composed of hereditary tribal elders. Society Inukiriniwdene has been shaped by the melting pot of many cultures, with the three main native groups, English, French, Unionists, Chinese, Japanese, and Indians. It was among the earlier nations to move towards racial equality, yet despite this prejudices do still exist. The regions "above the 49th", being the original territory of Inukiriniwdene, are prosperous and well-developed, while "below the 49th" is comparatively impoverished, with the states of Michigan and New York being particularly deprived. Differences There a number of differences between Inukiriniwdene and the USA and Canada of another timeline. Cities The metropolitan areas of Baltimore-Washington, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, St Louis, and the Twin Cities all have significantly smaller populations in Inukiriniwdene than in the USA. Of them the Baltimore-Washington area diminished after the Great Fire of Washington, Detroit was abandonded after its destruction by the Inuk Army, Washington DC was around 90% destroyed by fire and largely not rebuilt, and the others simply never developed quite as much. American Carthage, Anchorage, Fort Confidence, Inuqaliut, Kangiqliniq, Moosonee, Nome, and Queen Charlotte are all major cities in Inukiriniwdene. The three most populous urban areas in Inukiriniwdene are Toronto-Oshawa with ~18 million people, American New York with ~14 million, and Vancouver with ~9 million. American New York, while similarly populous in both, is less wealthy in Inukiriniwdene than in the USA, being a major port and industrial town but with few financial services in the former, and home to large slums. New York Factory, despite being the capital, has a modest population. Pittsburgh is universally pronounced PITS-bə-rə, rhyming with Edinburgh, in Inukiriniwdene. Business Due to the destruction of Detroit, the motor industry did not develop there. Instead, The McLaughlin Carriage Company based in Oshawa lead the market in the early period, being joined by Henry Ford who founded his Ford Motor Company in the same city in 1904. Competing hard against each other, the two companies dominated the market as rivals, failing to consolidate, fell away. In 1957 Magna was founded, initially producing parts for Ford and MCC, as well as for export, but in 1965 they entered the automobile market directly, and rapidly took market share from the established companies, forcing them to innovate in response. In 1975 the "Big Three" of Ford, MCC, and Magna dominate the domestic market, however only Magna has had much success internationally. In the late 1880s, the AC electric motor and the transformer were invented before electricity distribution, which had been delayed due to the Inukiriniwdene-USA war, got under way. As a result the "War of Currents" never happened, although the competition between Continental Edison and Westinghouse, the latter employing the brilliant electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, still occurred. Transport With Toronto being a major economic area, the St Lawrence Seaway leading from the Atlantic to Lake Ontario was constructed to accomodate Panamax vessels, and the Erie Canal connecting Lake Erie to American New York was likewise upgraded, both costly endeavours but ones deemed necessary. However, the plan to upgrade the Welland, Oswega, and Champlain canals, that provide links between the upper Lakes, Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence Seaway, and the Hudson River to Panamax standard was not implemented due to lack of funding. Armée d'Inukiriniwdene The Armée d'Inukiriniwdene operates a combined-arms approach, rather than a separate Army, Navy, and Air Force. Ships The Armée d'Inukiriniwdene operates five Fleets, each employing different sorts of ships for the roles they undertake. Arctic Fleet The Arctic Fleet is considered the Armée d'Inukiriniwdene's pride and joy, a fleet of warships specially built to be capable of operating in the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean, primarily built in the early 60s. All surface ships have icebreaking ability, enabling them to go where other ships can't; this results in their having shorter lengths and wider beams than equivalent ordinary ships. Detractors have described the Arctic Fleet as an expensive white elephant, in light of Inukiriniwdene enjoying friendly relations with the only other major Arctic nation, Russia. The government, however, continues to maintain the stance that the Arctic Fleet is essential in defense and power projection in the northern regions. *2 Inuvik class aircraft carriers. :: Constructed: Late 60s :: Length: 205 m :: Beam (waterline): 42 m :: Overall Beam: 70 m :: Propulsion: Steam turbine :: Aviation facilities: Dual 175m axial flight decks with ski ramps :: Complement: 40 F-3 Dragonfly fighter-bombers. *2 Tuktoyaktuk class helicopter carriers. :: Constructed: Early 60s :: Length: 140 m :: Beam (waterline): 30 m :: Overall Beam: 50 m :: Propulsion: Steam turbine :: Complement: 30 Sea King helicopters. A number of variants are in use, including an attack model popularly known as the "Barlat" for some reason. *4 Baffin class cruisers, early 60s. *14 Nadlok class destroyers, early 60s. *14 Ungava class frigates, early 60s. *10 late 60s nuclear-powered attack submarines. Open Ocean Fleet The Opean Ocean Fleet is the largest and has the most firepower. Its ships are of fairly conventional design, dating variously from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. In the early 70s ship construction has stalled somewhat, though new designs are under development for a late 70s rollout. Note that dates are the dates of original construction. Ships of older vintage have generally been upgraded to bring them to modern standards. *7 carriers: **1 60s nuclear-powered supercarrier **4 Syphax-class supercarriers, constructed in the 50s by Carthage, acquired by Inukiriniwdene in the late 60s. **2 40s carriers *14 cruisers: **3 60s nuclear-powered cruisers **11 40s cruisers *50 destroyers: **10 60s **20 50s **20 40s *30 frigates: **20 late 60s **10 early 60s *20 50s nuclear-powered attack submarines Great Lakes Fleet The Great Lakes Fleet is now only a token presence, the Lakes no longer forming a frontier. A few historic ships remain in commission as part of the Great Lakes Fleet. Riverine Fleet The Riverine Fleet is comprised of gunboats and river monitors, intended for operations in inland waterways. Submarine Fleet The Submarine Fleet has those submarines that operate independently, apart from the Arctic or Open Ocean Fleets *20 early 60s SSBNs *30 late 60s nuclear-powered attack submarines